Remembering David Sanders

With a sense of gratitude, compromise and struggle, we at the PHM remember our dear colleague, Professor David Sanders (1945 – 2019), who left us four years ago today. An extraordinary character, bigger than life, dearest friend, a mentor, sharp thinker and encouraging teacher, a fighter for life and for health as a Human Right.

David Sanders was a Professor and founding Director of the School of Public Health at the University of the Western Cape (UWC), South Africa. He was a specialist pediatrician with postgraduate qualifications in Public Health, and had over 40 years experience in health policy and program development in Zimbabwe and South Africa. David had extensive experience in the areas of primary health care, child health and nutrition, and human resources for health as part of health systems development.

He had published extensively in these fields, as well as on the political economy of health, including on structural adjustment and development aid, having authored or co-authored three books: “The Struggle for Health: Medicine and the Politics of Underdevelopment”, “Questioning the Solution: the Politics of Primary Health Care and Child Survival” and “Fatal Indifference: the G8, Africa and Global Health”, in addition to many chapters and journal articles.

PHM carries forward David’s vision of strengthening the People’s Health Movement towards health for all.